Menu Planning!

It's 5 o'clock, do you know what you're having for dinner? Hopefully, you've known for at least a week! Menu planning is a great way to save money and build your 3 month supply. First, make a list of all the meals that your family enjoys eating (sounds like a good FHE activity). Then, make a list of all the ingredients needed for each of those meals. Finally, make a calendar of when you're going to eat those meals. When you're at the store, buy what you need, but when you see a sale or have a coupon (or BOTH!) buy extra of the items you use regularly. By adding to your 3 month supply, when it's time to make dinner, you can just "go shopping" in your pantry.

Here's a sample menu in calendar form:
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B66nw2sfgICoMDk5NjUwZDQtOGE4ZS00Y2M1LTk2ZWUtNTBjYTgxOWQyNDll&hl=en

Here's a link to Food Storage Made Easy's tools to keep track of what ingredients you have and what you still need.
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/02/21/3monthfoodsupply/